Northersey
Northersey, officially the Commonwealth of Northersey, is a country located in the north Atlantic Ocean, compromising of 11 islands. Neighboring countries include Iceland to the north, the Faroe Islands (Denmark) to the east, the United Kingdom to the southeast and the Republic of Ireland to the south. The country's capital and largest city is Finnalund, not to be confused with Finland. The islands were first inhabited by the Nordic people groups traveling to Iceland in AD 884. Over the centuries a large population settled the islands. However, Northerseyan culture was heavily influenced by the Gaelic people groups traveling from Scotland and Ireland. There was an established Northerseyan Monarchy before the Scottish conquest beginning in 1468. When the union of Scotland and England occurred in 1707, Northersey (who's population was now more sizable than the Scottish) was regarded as a separate country within Great Britain. Northersey gained independence on August 6, 1931 from the United Kingdom, after the Northerseyan Assembly was officially adjourned. First Minister of Northersey, Benjamin Collier, was elected to serve as the first Prime Minister, who then recommended the nomination of Sir Joshua Noble to serve as Governor-General. The first Parliament of Northersey was convened a year later in Finnalund. The current Prime Minister, is Alex Moss, leader of the Conservative Party. Sir Lucas Cooke currently serves as the Governor-General of Northersey. Etymology Northersey is a rough combination of two old Norse words. Norðri provides the Norther- part of the country's name, meaning North. The ending ''-ey'' denotes an island (as in Jersey and Guernsey). The rough Norse name was "North's Island", applied to the main island. Overtime the name came into practice for referring to all the eleven islands. History 'First Settlement' Before official settlement, the islands had been visited for several years by Celtic monks. However, little of no impact had been made on the islands. They continued on to Iceland. In AD 884, the first recorded settlement of Northersey took place, when Scandinavian settlers aimed to travel to Iceland, but remained on the islands and established villages. The population grew steadily, however Celtic immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, traveled to the islands as well, creating a mixed culture. 'The Northerseyan Monarchy' See also: Monarchy of Northersey Around AD 1100, the people of the islands established a monarchy to govern the land. Asmund of Borderrock was coronated as the first King of Northerseayans. King Asmund and his following successors resided in Borderrock making it the royal capital. For 300 years the monarchy flourished until the Scottish conquest. Today, a large portion of Northerseyans actively express or have expressed a desire to reestablish a new monarchy, separate from the British. However, this has never been a desire of Parliament and thus has not been acted upon. 'Scottish Conquest' Starting in 1468, with King James III of Scotland, the Scots invaded Northersey for possession of the islands. This was not one event. Over the centuries, Scottish monarchs invaded and battled the people of Northersey, until full Scottish possession in 1603. The Scottish had established a dominant presence in the islands, in which today more than half of Northerseyans claim Scottish ancestry. The Scots built a strong port in Finnalund, which made it the largest city and capital for the Scottish government representatives in Northersey. Althhough, Scotland had taken control of the islands, the majority of Northerseyans did not identify themselves as Scots or people of the Scottish Kingdom. 'The United Kingdom' In 1707, Northersey joined Scotland in the union with Great Britain. By this time, Northersey's population had exceeded that of the Scottish and demanded to be a separate entity of Scotland, which was granted to Northersey. No longer was the country considered under Scottish rule. 'Early Devolution' In the late 1800s, the people showed strong desire to possess a legislature and government that would govern Northersey on local issues. After some time it was granted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Northerseyan Assembly was first convened in 1898, choosing Sir George Rees to serve as First Minister. 'Independence and Commonwealth' There were 7 sessions of the Assembly, each lasting a term of 4 years. Each one more and more expressed the idea of independence from the United Kingdom. The 7th Northerseyan Assembly, lead by First Minister Benjamin Collier - a Northerseyan nationalist - led the chamber to pass the Independence of Northersey Act of 1925. In 1931, the British government granted full independence for Northersey, officially becoming the Commonwealth of Northersey. Politics 'Government' Northersey is a parliamentary democracy and adheres by a constitution that is not codified. In 1963, Parliament published the collected documents forming the constitution and was distributed to the public free of charge. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Northersey, who is represented by the Governor General. The Governor-General is appointed by the Queen on advice of the Prime Minister. Several powers are reserved for the Governor-General to exercise, but rarely enacted, and the powers given to the Queen and Governor-General are limited by the authority of the legislature. The national legislature is the Parliament of Northersey, which consists of Parliament and the Queen. Parliament is supreme over the monarch, from the Bill of Rights 1689 in England which has been included in Northerseyan law. There are 151 members that serve a term of four years from single member constituencies. Parliament elects the Prime Minister, which in practice is the leader of the largest political party. Parliament approves the Cabinet, who - in addition to the Prime Minister - are sworn into office by the Governor-General. The Supreme Court is the judicial branch of government in Northersey and is the highest court in the nation. Including the presider of the court, the Chairman, there are a total of eleven Lord Justices that serve life tenure. The Supreme Court sets precedents in the government of Northersey, interpreting laws and the constitution. All members are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Prime Minister, and receive the title "Lord Justice" for life. For an incumbent Lord Justice the title "Honorable" is abbreviated and given in front of the title: "Hon. Lord Justice". 'Foreign Relations' Foreign relation policy is determined by the Prime Minister and carried out by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, also referred to as the Foreign Relations Minister who is considered the Deputy Prime Minister. Northersey is a strong supporter of the European Union. All the large political parties support a united Europe and actively preserve these policies when in government. 'Military' The Royal Defence Force of Northersey compromises the Royal Navy of Northersey, Royal Airforce of Northersey and the Royal Army of Northersey. Due to the it's size in population, Northersey does not have a large military, but sends support and aid to allies. Additionally, Northersey prepares active soldiers for in the event of war. The military is controlled by the Ministry of Defence of Northersey. The Commander-in-Chief of Northersey is the Queen. Geography Northersey is an archipelago compromising 11 islands. All together the islands are 83,745 km², just under the size of Austria. It is located in North Atlantic Ocean and is believed to have broken off of the British Isles. All the 11 islands are in possession of Northersey from the Treaty of London 1707, in which, Scotland claimed the seven southern islands. The British government awarded the island to Northersey. The highest point in Northersey is Mount Dyer. Demographics 'Population' In the year 2010 a national census took place by the National Statistics Administration, which reported the population of Northersey was 7,899,133 approximate people. Nearly 25% of the population lives in the Finnalund Greater Metropolitan Area. 'Ethnic Groups' Due to the islands' northern location almost 100% of the population are white or Nordic. There is a small French population, largely located in Borderrock and other races, primarily Black, are dispersed across the nation. Since it's settlement there has always remained a small Icelandic population living in Northersey and today remains the most dominant, although is still considered a small minority. In the late 1980s other Nordic people groups immigrated to Northersey after the large economical improvement. The white population is mixed between those of English heritage and Scottish. 'Religion' Christianity has largely dominated Northersey for 1,300 years. Today, about 61% of the population claim to be Christian, of which 41% claim to visit a place of worship regularly. There is a small Islamic and eastern religious population. There is one Islamic mosque in Finnalund. The Church of Northersey was established by the government in 1871 and today remains the predominant religious organization. Additionally, the Church is the only government sponsored religious organization. It's primate is the Most Reverend Ethan Kelly, Archbishop of Finnalund. The National Synod is the legislative body of the church which compromises bishops, clergy and laity. 'Education' The education system in Northersey models of that of the Scottish education system. There are seven universities in Northersey, each major city claiming one. The University of Finnalund is considered the most prestigious. 'Healthcare' All healthcare organizations are monitored by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Northersey. The primary healthcare company is Associate Medical which is a private company monitored by the government. All permanent residents of Northersey are guaranteed healthcare rights. About 89% of the population receive full medical coverage payments or partial medical coverage payments through general taxation. Category:Northersey